While Pope Francis struggles with double pneumonia in the hospital, rumors about the possible resignation of the 88-year-old pope are gathering momentum. The news media has even begun outlining what one should expect at a papal funeral, while a few of the older Catholic cardinals have already spoken publicly of the chances of Francis resigning, like his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI did.
Following a March 3 reversal, when the pope experienced two episodes of acute respiratory failure, the Vatican on March 4 said he had stabilized and was off ventilator support.
Elisabetta Pique, a biographer and friend of the pope, confirmed that Francis has not considered resigning. “He’s always been a fighter,” said Pique, pointing to his refusal to be swayed by pressure. As the Vatican correspondent for the Buenos Aires newspaper La Nacion, she added, “The more pressure they put on him, the more likely he won’t give in.”
Speculation on the potential resignation of the pope began spreading after he was hospitalized in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 due to breathing difficulties. Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, who is retired, suggested in a February 20 radio interview that Francis might abdicate the throne. French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, a rumored candidate to replace him, told a Vatican press conference, “Everything is possible,” when asked about the pontiff’s future.
Pope Francis has had several health problems over the last few years, undergoing significant surgeries in 2021 and 2023, including a hernia operation earlier this year. The Vatican declared for the first time that his condition is critical.
In 2021, during his colon surgery, Francis joked that “they were preparing the conclave,” referring to the assembly of cardinals that chooses a new pope after a resignation or death. Since becoming Pope of the Catholic Church in 2013, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Francis has faced a lot of challenges, spiritual and personal.
To date, doctors have given no timeframe for his discharge from the hospital.
